09 Nov 2017

Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Mr Patrick Ralotsia has encouraged Leshibitse farmers to improve their ways of farming in order to enhance the quality of their produce.

Speaking during a kgotla meeting held in Leshibitse recently, Minister Ralotsia told residents that the village used to be known for its appealing yields in agricultural produce.

He said many people came to live in the village because there was enough food to eat and sell for profit.

He said as time went by, farmers produce began to decline.

He said it was now time to revive farming in order to produce crops as before.

Mr Ralotsia said despite many Batswana owning farming land along the A1 road from Rasesa to Leshibitse, there was nothing that they could show in terms of contributing to feeding themselves and the nation.

He said government was worried that it used a lot of funds to help farmers plough and grow crops, but that the yield was not satisfactory.

Minister Ralotsia, therefore, urged farmers to take farming seriously if they were to see results.

He also advised them to listen to agricultural officers on the best methods of farming that would bear fruit.

He said farmers had to determine the quality of the produce they wanted from the day they prepared the seed bed, cared for seedlings until the crops were ripe for harvest.

He expressed worry that some farmers did not care for their fields after government had assisted them to plough while others sold the seeds and fertilizers that government had bought for them.

He said the intention of government through these programmes was to uplift the lives of Batswana.

He warned that such farmers would be blacklisted and would not receive help again if they were found to have abused the programme.

He also told residents that government had not changed its mind on the service centre, but that shortage of funds has been hindering the setup of the centre.

He encouraged Batswana to own tractors so that they could help government achieve its objective of increasing farming yields.

He said they could earn a living through services provided, adding that he does not support the idea that government should own the tractors.

Mr Ralotsia further said government had considered the pricing of BAMB for beans as Batswana had been complaining citing high prices which have now been reduced from P700 to P450.

He encouraged them to continue growing crops and to produce more yields so that they could sell to BAMB and make money from their sales.

In his welcoming remarks, Kgosi Tosh Kgotlele of Leshibitse said he grew up knowing that Leshibitse was an agricultural hub after Barolong Farms.

He said the village had a rich agricultural history and that farmers were reaping huge harvests, encouraging farmers to trace back their steps.

Kgosi Kgotlele added that they were blessed because they had rich fertile soils and a lot of underground water which they could use for irrigation and other agricultural purposes

He implored residents to take advantage of ISPAAD and to use the programme to help government diversify the economy and feed the nation.

Kgosi Kgotlele encouraged the youth to come on board and rear animals so that they could earn a living.

He added that Leshibitse, unlike other villages, was close to the market in Gaborone and Mahalapye and that farmers should take advantage of proximity to the market.

He told the minister that the Leshibitse farmers cluster was doing well, and that they were the best in Kgatleng.

He also commended them for working together for better agricultural produce.

The chairperson of Leshibitse Farmers Committee, Mr Moses Diswai said they were doing well but faced many challenges among them access roads to their farms.

He also asked minister Ralotsia to consider reducing the price for foreigners work permit as the local youth refused to work in farms to help them.

Giving a vote of thanks, area councillor, Mr Tshepo Kwapa asked the minister to budget for the service centre as it would be helpful to farmers and the community at large.

He said the centre would help improve agricultural production and restore the iconic status which the village used to enjoy back in the days. ENDS